How NetEase’s 2021 Audio‑Video Tech Conference Shaped the Future of AI‑Driven Media

NetEase 2021 Audio‑Video Technology Conference

From August 3‑4, 2021, NetEase held its inaugural "Eye‑Opening, Sound‑Immersive" audio‑video technology conference, bringing together technical leaders from NetEase ZhiQi, NetEase Games, NetEase Cloud Music, and the NetEase Hangzhou Research Institute to discuss frontier innovations and share practical achievements in audio‑video applications.

Eye‑Opening: Video Technology Innovation Vision

Speaker Chen Gong, VP of NetEase ZhiQi Technology, explained the rapid commercialization of audio‑video tech and the formation of the NetEase TM599 Audio‑Video Technology Committee to showcase the group's capabilities and foster industry collaboration.

Han Qingrui, senior expert at NetEase Audio‑Video Lab, presented topics including video processing, deep‑fake detection, content safety, video enhancement, computer‑vision techniques, and AI‑driven dance synthesis.

Sui Shichen, senior video algorithm engineer at NetEase Cloud Music, dissected the functionalities and design of short‑video creation tools, emphasizing technology as an aid for creators.

Hu Yifeng, senior image algorithm engineer at NetEase Yidun, discussed AI’s double‑edged impact, focusing on facial deep‑fake threats and the lab’s detection strategies.

Zhou Chenhui, senior video algorithm engineer at NetEase Cloud Xin, outlined causes of video quality degradation and AI‑based solutions, highlighting real‑time video quality enhancement for live streaming and on‑demand scenarios.

Tan Zhipeng, senior AI research engineer at NetEase Interactive Entertainment, described AI‑driven music‑dance synthesis for generating high‑quality dance animations in games and film.

Sound‑Immersive: Audio Technology Immersive Experience

Liu Huaping, head of NetEase Cloud Music Audio‑Video Lab, highlighted the surge in online applications due to the pandemic and the critical role of real‑time audio‑video communication quality.

Hao Yiya, audio algorithm expert at NetEase Cloud Xin, presented the architecture and performance of AI noise‑reduction and echo‑cancellation technologies, as well as other audio capabilities such as 3D sound.

Zhao Xiangyu, head of audio‑video algorithms at NetEase Cloud Music, explained factors influencing immersive sound fields and demonstrated technical solutions that deliver a realistic, immersive audio experience.

Liu Dong, Yang Zhen, and Li Xiang, voice algorithm experts from NetEase Hangzhou Research Institute, shared challenges and solutions in audio understanding systems, acoustic models for speech recognition, and online inference pipelines.

Fu Mingming, audio design specialist at NetEase Games, discussed AI‑generated music, describing how algorithms learn musical styles to generate content based on user input.

Conference Impact and Follow‑Up

The event attracted more than 54,000 viewers, with participants praising the practical technical solutions presented. Recorded talks will be released on platforms such as Practitioner Salon, Cloud Business Club, MCtalk, and Bilibili, and related articles will appear on the "NetEase ZhiQi Technology+" WeChat public account.